


All I Need

by Hobbes_ Cat (Wolf_Sabretooth)



Category: Futurama
Genre: Folk Music, I haven't written properly in months aaaa, M/M, Pining, Secrets, Song - Freeform, forgive me if they are OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28768347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_Sabretooth/pseuds/Hobbes_%20Cat
Summary: Fry accidentally eavesdrops on Bender's writing a song, and realises his friend may be keeping a secret from him.
Relationships: Philip J. Fry/Bender Rodriguez
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	All I Need

> "What, me? Have secret dreams of becoming a folk singer, don't be ridiculous!" - Bender

_1am, Saturday night._ Fry swayed and loitered on his way home from the bar, where he'd been drinking with Leela and Amy. Leaning his head back to watch the endless stream of vehicles pass over his ginger crest, he sighed in tipsy contentment. He really had landed on his feet, and now he was headed home to his beloved robot roommate, Bender. The bending bot hadn't come drinking with him and the girls, stating that he would rather toss his eye lenses into a vat of acid than be seen in public with them outside of work. Fry figured that roughly translated to: _I don't feel like it._

The redhead pattered up the pavement and stepped through the automatic doors into Robot Arms Apartments, humming some ancient 90's song that had randomly stirred from the fogginess of his mind, as these things do. Alcohol had filled him with a warm fuzziness, and he half skipped into the elevator, murmuring a soft 'boop' as he pressed the button that corresponded to their apartment level. The elevator lights scattered across his relaxed face as it rose swiftly, Fry toying with the apartment's keys in his hand. Stepping out onto the landing, he could see the stars down the corridor opposite him; he'd never seen them as a kid due to the light pollution of the old New York, but this civilisation had discovered environmentally friendly power sources decades ago.

It was a shame about fir trees though, and anchovies... Approaching his apartment door, the keys jangled softly from Fry's freckled hand as it prepared to unlock it, but something gave him pause. Behind the door, he could make out a soft, muffled murmur. His first thought was that it was the TV, then may e Bender talking to himself, and then maybe it was a dame he had over. But wait, there was...music? The soft plinking of guitar strings. Fry smiled a little when he realised that it was resonating from Bender himself, he was playing a song, and singing it too, apparently. Fry was a little hurt upon realising that his best friend only played when he was alone, but he supposed all geniuses needed solitude. He knew he shouldn't be listening, it was probably quite a private affair to the robot, but he couldn't seem to uproot him feet from the rough carpet beneath him...and he found himself leaning closer to the door, listening.

The guitar's notes were low and twanging, and Bender's dulcet tones rasped over them like sandpaper on soft wood, smoothing it into a gentle lullaby. Before he knew it, Fry's head had come to rest gently upon the door, and his ear was pressed to the metal.

_Oh, my love has gone, gone away..._

_It's winter, and he's gone, gone far away..._

_I hope that I'll see him again, but he's got his eyes on some girl_

_And he's like putty in her hands..._

_Ohhh~_

_Take me to the end,_

_The end of the universe,_

_And we'll sit together, just you and me._

_Have a drink, and a laugh, watch the aeons fly by,_

_'Cus you're all I need..._

Fry gently closed his fingers over the keys, muffling all sounds from them completely. This moment had him spellbound. He hadn't thought his friend was capable of conveying such emotin through words, let alone his music.

_Wish I had the guts to speak, man, wish I had guts at all,_

_Maybe if I was no tin man, then I'd have the gall._

_To tell you, that you look so pretty and fine,_

_If only I could make you mine._

_But until then, I'll just pine and whine,_

_And pray I don't push you away..._

_Ohhh~_

_Take me to the end,_

_The end of the universe,_

_And we'll sit together, just you and me._

_Rewind time, to whenever we'd like,_

_'Cus you're all I need..._

_With that glowing red hair, you're a fire in my vision!_

_You set alight my chest when we first met._

_I'd say you've stolen my heart, but I ain't got one, nor a soul,_

_Maybe that's why you don't love me, can't at all..._

_Ohhh~_

_Take me to the end,_

_The end of the universe,_

_And we'll sit together, just you and me._

_I'll never be her, but I can be me,_

_And love, you're all I need..._

As the song tailed off and faded into Bender grumbling about chords and the scratching of pen on paper, Fry realised he had slid down to sit on the ground, still pressed against the door. He released a breath he found himself holding, allowing his aching lungs to burn with air. The ginger's heart was pounding in his ears, so hard he felt his brain was shaking. Had Bender been singing about him? No, that was far too self absorbed of Fry to think that way! Why would the robot go to all that trouble?...

He furrowed his brows, unsure of what to make of the turbulent mess of emotions that had begun to writhe and come to life inside of him. Did Bender know any other gingers? Maybe he had been singing about a girl, yeah, that would be it! But...he'd been using male pronouns...was Bender actually gay, or bisexual? Fry pulled a perplexed face. Was he singing about Calculon? His confused reverie was broken by rustling within the apartment, and with a flush of hot panic that made him feel like he'd done something wrong by listening in, Fry stumbled to his feet once again, willing his shaky legs to hold him upright.

The keys nearly slipped from his hot palm, and he struggled to get ahold of them. He couldn't just walk in...the timing would be too weird, too suspicious... But, it was also late, and Bender would be wondering where he'd gotten to... Fry waited with baited breath, and soon heard the dull clank of the guitar being shoved someplace, probably into a cabinet Fry never looked in. Again, that hollow feeling of disappointment returned in remembering that Bender had hid this from him, and his hurt at him having done so. Having listened to his music though...perhaps there was more to this secrecy than Fry had originally bargained for. _No, this was getting too weird!_ Bender and him were just pals, and that was all. Fry counted up to 5, then made himself unlock the door and swung it open.

The scene that greeted him was atypical of their lifestyle; messy living quarters, the light on in the kitchen despite no one being in there, and Bender splayed out on their sofa, lazily lighting a cigar and rolling his eyes up to study Fry as he entered the apartment.

"Hey meatbag, you and your posse finally done for the night? What did you do, paint the town pink?"

Fry rolled his eyes and forced a smile, trying to will his sudden soberness to leave and let the previous happy drunken stupor return.

"Haha, yeah..."

The male's brown eyes made a quick scan of the room. _No papers, no guitar._ It was like he'd just imagined the previous 5 minutes of his life. Maybe he had...perhaps he'd hallucinated it? He frowned. Could alcohol make you hallucinate?

Bender raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, what's with you?"

Fry straightened up and shook off his thoughts, scratching the back of his neck apologetically.

"Uh, nothing. Just been...I don't know, a bit full on? I'm gonna hit the hay."

Bender snorted, grabbing a beer from the kitchen with a nonchalant throwback of his extendable arm.

"Not sure how full on a couple of lame chicks could be, but suit yourself. Catch yah in the morning, meatbag."

Fry nodded, smiling a little.

"Yeah...g'night, Bender."

The ginger wandered from the room, carrying out his nighttime routine with half-lidded eyes and long, loud yawns. As he rolled into bed and threw the duvet over himself, he was already beginning to dismiss what he'd heard earlier as his drunken imagination. Bender, singing about him? Not likely, and especially not a love song! Fry chuckled softly to himself at the ludicrous of this thought, then shut his eyes and snuggled down into the bedding.

A few moments later though, his eyelids snapped open, his body stiffening up, as his ears picked up a soft humming noise coming from Bender's closet next-door. It was the same tune Fry had heard him playing earlier. As the redhead's clock clicked onto 2am, he suddenly felt unable to sleep, haunted by the doleful tune.

What, or who, was the robot singing about that had him so compelled to isolate himself completely when he did so? He had to know. _Even if it was a secret..._

**Author's Note:**

> OOF it's been MONTHS I'M SORRY IT IS VERY HARD FOR ME TO WRITE NOW FOR SOME REASON??
> 
> I will try to get back into it this year, it was my New Years Resolution.
> 
> Also the song in this was written by me, hopefully it's not too cringey, and I didn't proofread so apologies for any mistakes...


End file.
